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Thread View: bit.listserv.lsoft-announce
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1 total messages Started by Eric Thomas Mon, 06 Jun 1994 20:28
LISTSERV migration plan
#2
Author: Eric Thomas
Date: Mon, 06 Jun 1994 20:28
229 lines
12655 bytes
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In order to  avoid cross-posting, this announcement is being  posted to a
special  mailing  list generated  from  the  combined membership  of  the
following lists:

        LMAIL-L LMAIL-M LSOFT-ANNOUNCE LSTOWN-L LSTSRV-L LSTSRV-M

This mailing  list is for announcements  only. If you want  to comment on
the announcement, please  select a suitable list from  the ones mentioned
above and send your reply to that address. If you have any question about
the announcement itself, please write to SUPPORT@LSOFT.COM. Thank you!

If  you received  multiple  copies  of this  message,  it  means you  are
subscribed to several  of the above lists under  different addresses. You
can find out  which address you are subscribed under  by sending a 'QUERY
listname' command. Contact the list owner if you need further assistance.
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*************************************************************************
************************ LISTSERV migration plan ************************
*************************************************************************

Table of contents:

  1. Introduction
  2. Recommended migration plan
  3. Migration points
  4. Step by step description
  5. Important warning

For a quick overview, read 2, 4 and 5.

Note: the term "workstation system" in  this document should not be taken
too literally. Larger VMS(TM) and unix(R) systems are also eligible.

****************
* Introduction *
****************

Many  of our  customers are  faced with  the necessity  to migrate  their
current LISTSERV services  to a workstation within a  certain time frame.
In some cases, this  time frame is "here and now":  the mainframe must be
gone by  the end of the  summer, and the  only option is to  relocate the
services before the machine is  removed. For customers in this situation,
we  offer a  number of  heavily discounted  promotional packages  for the
VMS(TM) and unix(R) versions of LISTSERV, which for everyday mailing list
management  functions are  nearly  indistinguishable  from the  mainframe
version. See the separate price lists for more information.

In  most cases,  however,  there  is some  flexibility  in migrating  the
services. Usually, there is a decision that the mainframe is to be phased
out over the next year or  two, and minimizing end-user disruption is one
of the top priorities. Obviously,  all mainframe upgrades and other major
purchases are frozen.  Customers in this situation have  a choice between
two strategies:

1. Migrate  now,  taking  advantage  of the  introductory  discounts  and
   immediately relieving the mainframe of  the heavy mail load associated
   with LISTSERV services.  The drawback is a loss  of functionality that
   could  have  been  avoided  by waiting  another  12-18  months  before
   performing the migration. Eventually, the  users will recover the lost
   functionality as the workstation versions are improved, but there will
   be a "gap" of about a year  during which services such as database and
   file server functions will not be  available. This is not likely to be
   very popular  with the users,  and will  certainly result in  a higher
   amount of calls to the support helpdesk.

2. Wait until the workstation versions  have caught up with the mainframe
   version,  and find  a way  to keep  up with  the ever-increasing  mail
   traffic in the meantime. There will also be an additional cost, as the
   mainframe version will have to be maintained for another year, and the
   introductory discounts will not last that long.

Neither alternative is really satisfactory.  To help its customers out of
this quandary, L-Soft  is introducing a promotional  migration offer that
delivers the best of both options.

******************************
* Recommended migration plan *
******************************

L-Soft recommends the following migration plan:

- Keep the  services on the mainframe  for another 12-18 months,  so that
  the users can continue to use the database and file server functions.

- Relocate the  bulk of  the mail  traffic to  a workstation  right away.
  Thanks to DISTRIBUTE, this is a simple matter requiring about 5 minutes
  of configuration work: the server running on the mainframe will deliver
  a single copy  of the message to the workstation,  which will then take
  care of the bulk of the delivery. Since LISTSERV itself requires a very
  moderate amount  of resources, this  will virtually eliminate  the mail
  burden.  And, by  purchasing  your workstation  license  now, you  take
  advantage of the introductory prices.

- L-Soft  will  then offer  to  support  both mainframe  and  workstation
  licenses for the higher of the two maintenance costs. See below for the
  exact conditions.

This migration  plan lets you relieve  your mainframe of the  e-mail load
immediately, without disrupting the service  or impacting your end users,
and  without having  to invest  in licenses  for a  machine that  will be
phased out  shortly. Furthermore, having  the code  at the same  level on
both machines makes  it easier to migrate your services  at the pace that
best fits  your needs. For  instance, you might  have a number  of simple
mailing lists  for which neither  database nor file server  functions are
used. These can  be migrated right away. As new  functions are introduced
in the workstation versions, more lists  can be migrated - and moved back
to the  mainframe if it  turns out that the  users depended on  a feature
they had forgotten to mention to you.

********************
* Migration points *
********************

For each dollar you spend on LISTSERV support (be it for the mainframe or
one of the workstation versions),  you receive one migration point. Thus,
if you purchase  one year of category II service  for the VMS(TM) version
at list price,  you pay $2,500.00 and receive 2500  migration points. You
also earn migration points with the various package offers; in that case,
the amount is indicated explicitly in the package description.

The migration points can then be  spent to purchase support for the other
system (1pt = $1). Here are the long, formal conditions:

- Each migration  point earned on  any of the workstation  versions gives
  you a credit of  $1 towards the purchase of 12  months of "Category II"
  LISTSERV support for a single VM system.

- Each migration point earned on the VM  version gives you a credit of $1
  towards the purchase of 12 months of "Category II" LISTSERV support for
  a single workstation system.

- You  cannot use  VM  points on  VM support,  or  workstation points  on
  workstation support, as this does not constitute a migration.

- You can add  up the points from  all your purchases, as long  as you do
  not mix workstation and mainframe points.

- This offer is  limited to a single workstation support  purchase plus a
  single mainframe support purchase per customer. Excess points cannot be
  redeemed.

- Migration points can  only be applied to purchases made  at list price.
  They  are  not cumulative  with  any  other discount,  except  academic
  discount. In  particular, you  cannot use  migration points  to further
  reduce the price of a package offer.

- You must use all your points before December 31, 1994. There will be no
  compensation for  unused points. Migration points  are nontransferable.
  Migration points are awarded only on purchases made on or after June 6,
  1994, except that  2500 migration points will  be retroactively awarded
  to all  customers that  purchased the LTCP-9000  package (see  VM price
  list).

****************************
* Step by step description *
****************************

Unless you  have already sent  in a purchase  order, it will  probably be
easier if  you ask your  management to purchase the  workstation version,
and use the resulting migration points  on VM support. You will need 2500
points for free support (1250 if you are a beneficiary of the CREN/L-Soft
agreement - see the VM price list). If you do not have enough points, you
will receive a credit for what you have.

So, the step by step approach would be:

1. Purchase a license for the workstation version. You will probably want
   to  choose  one   of  the  introductory  packages   which  include  an
   indefinite, unlimited license and one year of support.

2. Note the  amount of migration points  you earned. If you  have 2500 or
   more (1250  if you  are a beneficiary  of the  CREN/L-Soft agreement),
   order  free support  for your  VM code  together with  the workstation
   version. All you need  to do is state on your  purchase order that you
   wish to redeem your  points for a free VM support  contract. If you do
   not have  enough points,  you will  still receive a  credit of  $1 per
   point.

3. If you are also running LMail(TM), we recommend that you also purchase
   support  for that  product.  The additional  cost,  given an  existing
   LISTSERV support  contract, is  $825/year ($412.50/year  if you  are a
   beneficiary  of  the  CREN/L-Soft  agreement).  You  cannot  use  your
   migration points here, because you  did not purchase LMail(TM) for the
   workstation (for the time being, it is only available for VM).

Note:  this  assumes  you  already  own an  indefinite  license  for  the
mainframe version. If not, contact  L-Soft sales (SALES@LSOFT.COM) and we
will discuss a suitable arrangement.

*************
* IMPORTANT *
*************

If you are still running version 1.7f  on your VM system, you will not be
able to relocate your mail traffic  to the workstation unless you upgrade
to a more recent version (ie procure  support for VM), or run LISTSERV in
NJE mode  on your workstation  (which is  possible only with  the VMS(TM)
version). This is  because version 1.7f was released about  a year before
LISTSERV-TCP/IP,  and  is not  capable  of  taking advantage  of  non-NJE
servers for DISTRIBUTE purposes.

*************************************************************************
****************** General conditions and disclaimers *******************
*************************************************************************

All prices are in US dollars and  exclusive of sales or other tax. Unless
indicated otherwise, all  prices are guaranteed for a period  of one year
from the date hereof (6 June  1994). Package prices and other promotional
prices are guaranteed until their expiration date ("Order before:" in the
package   templates).   Academic   customers   include   all   non-profit
degree-granting  organizations  of  higher  education.  Other  non-profit
organizations may also be eligible; contact L-Soft for more information.

L-Soft International, Inc.  ("L-Soft" in this document)  does not endorse
or approve the use of any of the product names or trademarks appearing in
this document.

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LMAIL and L-SOFT are trademarks of L-Soft international.

Unix is a registered trademark of UNIX Systems Laboratories, Inc.

VMS is a trademark of Digital Equipment Corporation.

All other trademarks, both marked and not marked, are the property of
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